If you follow Terry Richardson's Tumblr blog, you may have noticed these photos of a man who is not really a celebrity and is clearly not a supermodel, posing with a Captain America shield and standing outside of a massage parlor and wondered who he is and why he would be with the famed photographer. Jim Walrod is a prominent figure in the design world, but as this interesting New York Times article from 2002 explains, he's not really a designer, nor is he an interior decorator or an architect. While his job description may be complicated and undefinable, Walrod's influence and knowledge is vast and his contacts list is beyond impressive.
Walrod has been called everything from design guru, to cultural historian, to a "furniture pimp" by Mike D of the Beastie Boys. His website describes him as a "self-trained interior designer," but his resumé goes much deeper than that. André Balazs' The Standard Downtown, Crunch Fitness Gyms, Caulfield's Restaurant in Beverly Hills, the United Colors of Benetton concept store, Hester Diamond (Mike D's mom)'s penthouse in Manhattan, and tons of other upscale restaurants and private residence designs have involved Walrod in some way or another. The "walking encyclopedia" is regarded as one of the most important invisible people in the industry, so you should probably get familiar. Jimwalrod.net is a good place to start.
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[via Terry's Diary]
